So Close, And Yet So Far
by GhostWriterGirl-1
Summary: Sam Manson never forgot the day she lost her best friend, Danny Fenton. Nor would she forget seeing him again, ten years later, and now a halfa. As the two become close again with secret visits, they have no idea of the looming threat coming for Danny, a threat that will not only bring their two worlds together... but will link them forever. They're so close, and yet still so far.
1. Prologue: How It Began

**Hey!**

 **So, a while ago, I made an AU one-shot in a collection of Disney Love Song For Danny Phantom Pairings one-shots, which was titled Strangers Like Me, was DXS, and was basically Danny, after being in the Ghost Zone for ten years, came back to the human world when he was badly wounded through Sam's bedroom and re-met her again. She tended to his wounds while teaching him about the human world and they fell in love. But of course, Danny had to go back. Now, I felt like that one-shot needed a full-on story, so here it is!**

 **I don't own anything in the Danny Phantom universe. That all belongs to Butch Hartman. I only own this story.**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**

 **Prologue:**

 **How It Began**

 _Ten Years Ago…_

The sounds of sneakers and flats slapping on concrete sounded as two four-year-old kids ran to a huge red brick building, a neon sign attached to it that said "Fenton Works" and a mess of metal on top. One of the kids was a boy with dark skin, glasses, and wearing a short-sleeved yellow shirt, green shorts, and brown sneakers. The other kid was a girl, with black hair tied into two pigtails, violet eyes, wearing a purple shirt and black skirt and black flats with white socks. The boy knocked on the door, and it was opened by a huge man in an orange jumpsuit, with blue eyes and short black hair.

The man, Jack Fenton, grinned at seeing the kids and shouted, "DANNY-BOY! YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!"

At that, a boy came running down the stairs towards the door. He had messy black hair, big blue eyes, fair skin, a faint smattering of freckles on his cheeks, a white shirt with short sleeves and red trimming, blue shorts and red and white sneakers with white socks. The boy, Danny Fenton, smiled at seeing his two best friends.

"Tucker! Sammy!" Danny greeted as he and his friends, Tucker Foley and Samantha "Sam" Manson, hugged. The three smiled and Tucker and Sam walked inside, eager to play a game of hide and seek with their best friend in his two-storey house. They met Danny's six-year-old sister, Jazz Fenton, and were about to play hide and seek when Maddie called up from the basement, "Jack, it's ready!"

Jack grinned, and was about to head down before he turned to Sam, Tucker and Danny and asked, "Do you three want to see something cool?"

All three kids nodded. "YES!"

"Well, Danny, Sam, Tucker," Jack started as he, Danny, Sam and Tucker walked to the basement, Jazz following them, "me and Maddie have made something called the Fenton Ghost Portal. It, if it works, will bust a hole into the dimension known as the Ghost Zone!"

By now, Danny, Sam and Tucker were completely and thoroughly interested. Jazz, however, sighed.

"Daddy, you know ghosts aren't real," Jazz pointed out, though she still followed her father, brother and his friends down the steps to the basement/lab.

"Well, we'll see about that when your mother and I bust a hole into the ghost dimension, Jazzy-Pants," Jack told her as they entered the basement/lab. He turned to Maddie, who was just re-checking over everything, and said, "Maddie! The kids are gonna see us turn on the portal."

Maddie looked up from her calculations and noticed her daughter, her son and his friends.

"Okay! Just make sure they're not in the path of any ecto-blasts. We don't want what happened to Vlad happening again," Maddie advised.

"Sure thing, Mads!" Jack said. He turned to Jazz, Danny, Sam and Tucker and said seriously, "Now kids, stay a few feet away from the portal when me and Maddie turn it on, just in case."

They nodded, and the Trio looked in awe and excitement as Jack walked back to the portal. Maddie, after overlooking everything again, shouted, "Jack, hit it!"

Grinning, Jack held up a plug and plugged it into the connector. The portal hummed as it started to create a spiral of green energy, causing Jazz, Danny, Sam and Tucker to look at it in awe, until…

It died down to a spark. A single, lonesome spark, and then that disappeared to.

Maddie and Jack looked at the portal in shock.

"But… but it should have worked! I checked and double-checked the calculations. Everything was correct. Why didn't it work?" Maddie asked herself.

Jazz leaned down and whispered, "Told you so." With that, she left the lab.

Jack slumped and pouted, "It didn't work. All our hard work…and it didn't work."

Maddie looked at her husband and walked over to him, placing a hand on his broad shoulder.

"Look, maybe we made a miscalculation, or overlooked an error. Right now, let's call it a night, look at whatever mistakes we made tomorrow, and have some fudge?" Maddie offered.

Jack, although still sulking, nodded, and the Fenton parents walked out of the lab, crushed that their invention hadn't worked.

Tucker looked at the machine and shivered at look at it. "Scary."

"Cool, though," Sam said. She walked to the portal and looked at it in awe.

"Sammy, be careful!" Danny hissed, shaking. "What if… what if there's a ghost in there?"

"Danny, there's no ghost in there. And if there is, I'll always scare it away for you. And come on, a _Ghost Zone?_ That sounds super-cool. You've _got_ to check it out."

Danny walked up to the portal and said, "Sammy, you're right. Ghosts may be scary, but who knows what kind of super-cool things exist on the other side?"

He took in a breath and said, "Okay, I'll go in. But I'm coming straight back out."

Sam smiled at him and Tucker high-fived him, saying, "You're braver than me." Danny was about to go in, before he remembered that his mommy and daddy always told him to wear a suit like theirs before going near one of their inventions, much less _inside_ one. Walking to a nearby closet, he pulled out a white and black jumpsuit and put it on. When he finished, Tucker and Sam looked at him in awe.

"You look like a superhero, Danny!" Tucker complimented.

Sam frowned and said, "But not with _that_ on your chest."

She then ripped a sticker of Jack Fenton's face off the jumpsuit and chucked it into the bin.

Danny gulped once, before entering the portal.

Inside, it was dark, barely lit up with the faintly glowing blue circuitry of the portal. It was so dark, Danny didn't even notice that he had pressed a button until he heard a click.

Humming started, the circuitry's lights changed from a dim blue to a brilliant neon green, and before Danny could run, green electricity and energy began electrocuting him.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Danny screamed.

"DANNY!" Tucker and Sam screamed. Sam ran towards the portal, but was held back by Tucker.

"LET ME GO!" Sam yelled. She began trying to fight Tucker, but he held firm, as Danny continued to scream in agony.

"LET ME GO, TUCKER! DANNY'S IN THERE! I GOT TO SAVE HIM!" Sam yelled, tears streaming down her face at hearing her best friend's screams.

"Sam, if you go in… you're going to be like Danny," Tucker said.

Realising that Tucker was making the hard choice of keeping her from saving their best friend by saving her from the same fate, Sam watched helplessly as Danny continued to scream, crying and screaming, "DANNY!" Soon, their screams attracted the attention of the other members of the Fenton family, and they ran down the basement steps.

Maddie gasped when she saw her baby boy being electrocuted inside the ghost portal. She screamed, "NOOOO! DANNY!", and was about to run in to save him when Jack held her back.

Jazz too screamed, "LITTLE BROTHER!", but knew if she went in, she too would get electrocuted. So, they watched, as a spiralling green and black vortex of energy appeared… and sucked Danny straight into it.

"DANNNY! NOOOOOOOOO!" everyone screamed. Sam wrested free from Tucker's grip and ran to the portal as it died down, but there was nothing inside; Danny was gone. All that was left was a char mark on the ground where Danny once was.

"Danny! No, no, NO!" Sam screamed, and she began to sob. Maddie wailed and collapsed against her husband's chest, crying at the loss of her son. Jazz was also crying, while Tucker stood there, shocked, that his best friend was gone.

Sam continued crying, before she got an angry look and punched the portal.

"Sam!" Maddie cried, brought out of her sobs by Sam punching the portal.

"This is my fault!" Sam shouted. "If… if I hadn't told Danny to go in, he would still be here! This is all my fault! My fault, my fault, my _FAULT_!"

Sam went into another crying fit as Tucker, Jazz, Jack and Maddie watched, before the Fenton parents looked at the invention they were so proud of, the invention that had taken their son.

"Our Danny's gone. He's gone," Maddie whispered, and she began to cry again.

In that lab, all that was heard was the sounds of crying and inventions whirring and humming, as a family and two friends cried over the loss of their son/brother/friend.

Danny Fenton was gone.

Or so it seemed to be.

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	2. Chapter 1: Beginning Again

**Here is the next chapter! Now, as I said in the prologue, this story is set** _ **after**_ **the twenty-second one-shot in my collection of one-shots of DP pairings paired with Disney love songs. So, before you read this chapter, it might be wise to read the one-shot I just mentioned, even though I basically summarised it in the last chapter. If you** _ **have**_ **read the one-shot, then read ahead!**

 **Anywho, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter One:**

 **Beginning Again**

 _Bring! Bring! Bri-_

Sam Manson silenced the obnoxious ringing of her alarm clock as she groaned and turned over, trying to go back to sleep, before surrendering to wakefulness.

Sighing, Sam sat up and gripped her hair, blinking.

 _Was that all a dream?_ Sam thought. It didn't feel like one; but then again, dreams _could_ be vivid. And yet…

 _I swear Sam, I_ will _come back to you. No matter what._

Sam looked at the covers and saw, hardly discernible, small dried spots of ectoplasm from where he had lain for five hours, before she had come home, helped him…

And then he left back for the Ghost Zone.

Danny Fenton.

Sam shook her head, but she knew there was no denying it. It hadn't been a dream; Danny Fenton was alive. Well, _half_ -alive, since he was now half-ghost, but still. He was alive. After ten years of believing he was dead, that she would never see him again, he was alive. _He was alive_.

And then Danny had to go back to the Ghost Zone.

Tears stung at her eyes and Sam wiped them away. For ten years, she had been suppressing her guilt of "killing" Danny, of asking him to go into that stupid portal, ten years of keeping her emotions at bay. And now, after nearly a week of Danny being back, he had still gone back to the Ghost Zone.

But not before he kissed her. _On the lips._

She smiled at that.

 _That kiss seals my vow. I will come back._

He promised that he will come back to visit her, and with no doubt did Sam believe that Danny will keep true to his promise. He had sworn on his grave, after all; the most solemn vow a ghost could make, according to him. And even though he had been sucked into the Ghost Zone via the portal ten years ago, they had still had a grave for him, and a funeral.

One that only his parents, Jazz, Tucker and herself had attended.

His family… Tucker…

Sam jerked up. Danny had promised to visit her. And if he did hold to that promise… she had to tell his family! They still believed he was dead. If she told them he wasn't… they would be beyond happy to hear that Danny was still alive.

Along with someone else…

With a sense of purpose, Sam got ready for school. She needed to tell him that Danny was still alive… even though they weren't on the best speaking terms.

…

 _Meanwhile_

Danny couldn't stop thinking about Sam. As he flew back to his mother's Acropolis, memories of Sam, her smile, her laughter, the confused way she looked when he spoke Esperanto… all of it made his core and his heart want to jump out of his chest. And kissing her… he still felt like electricity was tingling in his blood when he thought about it.

As he remembered about Sam, Danny began to have memories; memories that were blurry at first, but became clearer with every second he flew back home. Memories of a man in an orange jumpsuit, a woman in a blue jumpsuit, a red headed girl, and a dark-skinned boy wearing glasses and a red beret. Sam had told him that the man and woman were his real parents, and that the boy was his friend, Tucker Foley. But he couldn't remember those memories until he met Sam. In fact, his first memory had been waking up in the Ghost Zone, and meeting his mom.

Pandora.

And speaking of his mom…

Danny winced.

 _Oh God, she must be worried_ sick _!_ he thought. He could only imagine her face when he came back home. He didn't mean to worry her; but he had no choice. Still, he was dreading seeing the worried look on his mom's face when he got back home.

And speaking of his mom… should he even _call_ her his mom? Sure, she raised him after he first come into the Ghost Zone, but he had memories of his birth mother; Maddie Fenton, Sam said her name was. He wanted to meet her, and his father, and the redhead who seemed to be his sister, but he didn't know how his mother would react. He didn't want to intentionally hurt her feelings, but surely she would understand him wanting to learn more about his birth family, and his life before he entered the Ghost Zone, right?

But more than that, he wanted to ask her where the closest natural portal would be.

Danny had promised Sam he would come back and visit her; he had sworn on his grave, after all, the most solemn vow a ghost could make. He had no intention of having her wait for him to come back another ten years. What he _did_ intention was to see where the closest portal will be, go through it, and visit Sam. He would visit Sam a hundred times every single day of the year before leaving her to wait for him again. He couldn't do that to her.

Ten years ago, Danny couldn't go back because he didn't know, because he had forgotten about the people mourning him. Now, he wanted more than anything to go back to them; especially Sam.

He couldn't keep her waiting, when she knew that he was still alive. He _couldn't._

And that was why it was so important to ask his mother where the closest portal was, natural or not. And-

"DANNY!" someone shouted, someone that Danny knew.

Grinning, Danny paused in his flight and turned to see two ghost kids, about twelve years of age, floating in front of him.

"Hey, Nyx. Jinn," Danny greeted the fraternal twins in front of him.

The twin daughters of Desiree and Nocturne grinned at him. They both had their mother's long black hair, but while Nyx had her father's pale skin and her spectral tail was as starry as her father's body, Jinn looked more like her mother. Despite being twelve years old, both ghost girls were looking more and more like women every day. Danny loved the twins; they never failed to brighten up his day. He smiled as he gently grabbed Nyx and swung her around, causing the ghostly girl to laugh in glee as her sister giggled.

"Where have you been, Danny? Mommy and Daddy and Auntie Pandora were worried that you were taken by nasty ghost hunters!" Jinn asked, tugging on Danny's arm as he set Nyx down.

"Well, I _was_ in the human world. But," Danny started, Jinn and Nyx gasping at hearing that Danny had been in the human world, "no nasty ghost hunters caught me. And if they did, they're no match for the mighty Danny Phantom!"

To emphasise that, Danny shot a harmless ghost ray into the air, making the girls shriek with glee, before turning back to him, eyes wide.

"You were actually in the _human world_ , Danny?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah, I was," Danny answered.

"What was it like?" Jinn asked.

"Well-"

"Did you have to fight off any humans?" Nyx questioned.

"No, but-"

"Did you see any nasty ghost hunters?" Jinn interrupted.

"Again, no, but-"

"Mommy and Daddy told me and Jinn that there's this group of mean ghost hunters called the Guys In White. Were you captured by them, and if you were, did you have to fight your way out?" Nyx asked. Jinn gasped and exclaimed, "Yes, yes! Did you fight off any Guys In White?"

"Not actually, but-" Danny tried again, but Nyx and Jinn were too immersed in what they believed had happened to Danny when he was in the human world.

"I bet he fought them all off with a Ghostly Wail!" Nyx betted.

"No way! He fought them all off by punching, kicking and blasting them all away!" Jinn countered, miming the imaginary fight with some very animated gestures of fighting.

"Actually, I bet he froze them all with his ice powers!"

"Maybe he turned invisible and snuck his way out, then fired his ghost rays when they followed him!"

"Maybe-"

"That's not how it happened!" Danny shouted.

That stopped them from arguing over how Danny "fought off" the Guys In White.

"Then what _did_ happen, Danny, when you were in the human world?" Jinn asked.

"Actually, you see, I was injured, badly, so I had to heal by escaping to the human world through a natural portal, and-"

"A natural portal? Doesn't Uncle Clockwork always tell us that natural portals are very risky ways of travelling?" Nyx asked.

"Not in a situation where you have to escape and you have no other way out!" Jinn countered. "Now, Nyxie, quiet!"

Danny rolled his eyes and smiled at the twins' antics, before continuing.

"Well, anyway, when I came out of the natural portal, I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was five hours later. Turns out, the place I was in was actually the bedroom of this girl, Sam Manson. Because I was so badly injured, I decided to stay to heal and build up my strength, and Sam helped me. Despite the language barrier, we became pretty close and then… I had to come back here."

Danny felt his voice become choked up at the mention of Sam. But, he knew that he would meet her again, if he found a nearby natural portal that was both stable and easy to get to. Still though, he still felt bad about leaving her.

Jinn and Nyx looked at him, awed silence in their eyes, before Jinn asked, "Did you kiss her?"

Danny spluttered a bit from shock as Nyx frowned at her twin and punched her in the arm.

"OW!"

"You don't say things like that, Jinny! It's rude! Mommy said so!" Nyx reprimanded her twin. And then she turned around to face Danny and asked him, "But did you? Did you kiss her like how Mommy and Daddy kiss each other?"

At that Jinn grinned. "Yes! Did you and Sam kiss each other like Mommy and Daddy?"

Danny blushed and said, "Yes, we _did_ kiss, but not like your mommy and daddy."

Nyx smiled. "Because no one kisses like our Mommy and Daddy!"

Jinn nodded sagely. "True, sister. True, true."

"And because every time your mommy and daddy kiss each other, they end up making out with each other," a new voice said.

Danny smiled at the newcomer. "Hey Ember."

Ember McLain, the Ghost Zone's resident rockstar, Jinn and Nyx's part-time baby-sitter, and Danny's friend, smiled back at him.

"Hey dipstick. Long time, no seem, hmm?"

Danny rolled his eyes playfully. "Guess so."

"So," Ember started, as she sat down between Nyx and Jinn and began tickling Jinn, much to the younger girl's delight, "what's this I hear about you being in the human world?"

Before Danny could answer, Nyx said, "Danny went to the human world through a natural portal and kissed a human girl named Sam!"

" _Nyx_!" Danny hissed, blushing, as Jinn giggled. At that, Ember's eyes widened as she subtly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?"

Danny groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I'm probably embarrassed, am I?"

"Yep, you are."

Danny groaned again as he dramatically said, "Oh, the horror! My most mortifying secret is out; I have kissed a human girl!", causing the three ghost girls to laugh, before Ember said, "I think you better get home, Dan. Pandora has been worried sick about you. I'll take these girls back home."

The rocker ghost stood up and asked Nyx and Jinn, "Who wants to hear the story about the ghost princess and the dragon amulet?"

"I DO!" Nyx and Jinn shouted in unison.

Ember smiled and gently grabbed their hands, before saying, "See ya around, Phantom," before she teleported herself, Nyx and Jinn back to the twins' home.

Danny smiled before continuing on his flight. He felt guilty, not telling Nyx, Jinn and Ember about his new halfa status, but he felt that he needed to tell his mother first before telling anyone else; it felt like the right thing to do.

Soon, Danny could see his mother's Acropolis. He landed and almost immediately he saw his mother.

Pandora was leaning against a column, eyes looking worriedly at the expanse of the Ghost Zone, hoping to see her son, before she heard him say, "Hey, Mom."

Looking down, she gasped in relief at seeing Danny.

"DANNY!" Pandora cried. She flew down to him and gripped him in a hug, one of her four arms stroking his hair.

"Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been? I thought you were hurt, or worse," Pandora asked him, looking at him with worry in her red eyes.

"I'm okay, Mom. I was hurt and I accidentally went through a natural portal into the human world," Danny answered.

Pandora gasped, but Danny hurriedly continued, "But I'm fine, honest! I had to wait a few days to heal and regather my strength, but as soon as I did, I came back here. I'm sorry for scaring you and worrying you so much."

Pandora looked at him. "It's okay, son. But don't _ever_ scare me like that again, okay?"

Danny nodded. "Okay."

The two hugged, and Danny felt a bit of guilt.

His mother had been really worried about him. Usually, he told her where he was going, but he had really scared her with his unplanned trip to the human world, a trip that had unearthed memories and reunited him with a friend he had forgotten about for ten years. His mother truly loved him, even though she probably knew he wasn't her real son, as did Desiree, Nocturne, Clockwork, Nyx, Jinn, Ember and the other ghosts he called his family and friends.

Which made what he intended to do, visiting Sam and learning more about his birth family and his past, so much harder to do, as well as what he was about to ask.

Danny looked at Pandora, and asked his mother, "Mom, where is the closest portal near here?"

 **I know that Sam's P.O.V was probably cruddy, as is the title of this chapter, but I am proud of Danny's P.O.V. And yeah, Pandora is Danny's adoptive mother, and Desiree and Nocturne are a couple, and have kids, twin daughters Nyx and Jinn. And Ember is also one of Danny's friends, not one of his enemies.**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	3. Chapter 2: He Doesn't Believe

**Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Two:**

 **He Doesn't Believe That Danny Is Alive… Sort Of**

As Sam walked the last few blocks to school, she wished that she had worn a jacket. The loathsome sun's rays were hot against her pale shoulders, and she hoped that she would get into shade soon. But despite her irritation at feeling the sun on her, she was feeling a mix of emotions inside her at what she was about to do when she got to school.

She was going to tell Tucker that Danny was still alive.

Even though they weren't friends anymore.

They tried to hold onto their friendship, they really did, but in the end they admitted the simple fact: Danny had been the glue that had held their friendship together. Without him, there was nothing to keep them being friends any longer. Their friendship had fallen apart, and what was worse, even though Sam knew that she was at fault for telling Danny to go inside the portal, Tucker still hadn't forgiven her for the loss of their best friend. When school started, despite his techno-geek ways, Tucker had become popular, and Sam had become a loser. What was worse, even after ten years, everyone still blamed her for killing Danny Fenton. She had to endure glares, blame, whispers and insults from everyone she knew and didn't know. No one wanted to be her friend; the resident queen of the A-listers, Paulina Sanchez, and every single parent made sure of that. The only people that didn't blame her were the Fentons themselves, though Sam could always see an accusatory look in Maddie's eyes when she thought Sam wasn't looking. Sam's only friend was Jazz, who assured her that Danny would've gone into the portal whether she would have told him to go in or not; Danny _was_ a curious person, after all. But still, for ten years, Sam Manson had been the subject of blame and guilt and accusations for telling Danny Fenton to go into a portal that everyone believed had killed him, Tucker Foley being the most prominent blamer out of them all.

But today, if she could get the chance, Sam would tell Tucker that Danny was still alive, and she hoped that he would believe her.

Finally, Sam could see Casper High. Climbing the steps, Sam spotted Tucker, laughing and flirting with his girlfriend, Star Thunder. He looked completely at ease, but Sam knew what she would tell him would rattle him; and anger him, possibly.

Steeling herself, Sam walked up to the flirting couple.

Tucker had an arm around Star's waist and said to her in a flirty tone, "You are the sweetest thing ever, my shooting star."

Star giggled. "Oh Tucker, you're such a charmer!"

"And that's why my initials, TF, not only stand for Tucker Foley, but for Too Fine."

Star smiled at him. "And, they also stand for Too Flirty."

"And they also stand for Tech Fanatic," Sam deadpanned, inserting herself into the conversation.

Tucker and Star looked up at her, and their flirty looks turned to ones of hatred.

"Get lost, Goth Freak. You're not welcome here," Star said in an icy tone.

"Sorry, Princess, but I need to talk to Lover Boy here," Sam replied snidely, before she grabbed Tucker's arm and dragged him to a tree far enough away that Star couldn't hear them.

Tucker wrested free of Sam's grip and glared at her.

"What the heck, Sam?! Did I _not_ make it clear to you that I did no what anything to do with you, much less _talk_ to you, ten years ago when you killed Danny?" Tucker hissed.

"Look, Tucker, I know that we're not friends anymore, and to be honest, I could care less about you, but I _do_ need to talk to you," Sam said.

Tucker glared at her.

"Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," Tucker said coldly. He straightened his beret and added, "Now, if you excuse me, I've gotta get back to my shooting star."

Before he could leave, Sam blurted out, "Danny's alive."

That stopped Tucker in his tracks.

" _WHAT_!?" he exclaimed, turning to face her.

"Danny's still alive," Sam repeated.

Tucker looked like a truck had ploughed into him.

"No, that can't be. We _saw_ him get sucked into that vortex, whatever it was. He's _dead._ You're lying," Tucker said, refusing to believe his former friend that their mutual best friend was still alive.

"It's true, Tucker. I _saw_ him. He's… different, but he's still alive. I'm not lying," Sam said back, hoping that Tucker would believe her.

Tucker got an unreadable look on his face, before it hardened into a glare.

"I don't believe you."

Sam staggered back, looking for all the world like she'd been punched in the gut. "Wh-what."

"I don't believe you," Tucker repeated.

Sam, registering this, shook her head.

"No, you _have_ to believe me, Tucker! Danny's still alive! He's been alive for _ten freaking years_! I _saw_ him! Honest!"

"And _I_ saw him get freaking _electrocuted_ and sucked inside a freaking _vortex_!" Tucker countered. He turned his back to her and placed his hands on his head. "I can't believe that you would make up something like this! That's really low."

"I'm _not_ making this up!" Sam yelled.

This attracted students going past. Calming down, Sam said in a lowered tone of voice, "Look, you weren't the only one to lose Danny. _I_ lost him too; he was our _friend_. His parents lost their _son_ , his sister lost her _brother_. I would _never_ make up something like this, and I would _never_ go as low as that. I… I really saw him. He's still alive, Tuck. _Please_. You _have_ to believe me."

Tucker looked at her, and Sam could see disbelief, anguish… and the hope that she was right, that his best friend, Danny Fenton was still alive.

Sam hoped that what she said had got through to him, that he now believed her, but her hopes were shattered when Tucker said, "I wish I could believe you, Sam. I really do. But I saw Danny _die_ ; we _all_ did. And, until I see that Danny really _is_ alive, unless you have proof, I'm afraid I don't believe you. Sorry, Sam."

And with that, Tucker left to go back to Star, once again adopting the A-lister persona and pretending that his and Sam's conversation never happened.

Sam, on the other hand, couldn't pretend that it didn't happen.

She couldn't believe it; Tucker didn't believe her. Not until he saw Danny for himself. But Sam didn't even _know_ if Danny was comfortable yet with seeing his birth family and his past best friend yet. She didn't want to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with, and for now, until otherwise, Tucker didn't believe her.

And that crushed her.

Because, if Danny's best friend didn't believe that Danny was still alive… who's to say his own _family_ would?

…

 _Later_

Nine hours later, Sam was back home. She had decided to walk, but just her luck, it had begun to rain. She was feeling really upset that Tucker wouldn't believe her, so she decided to take a detour, and headed to the one place she swore she would never visit.

Danny's grave.

She had sat in front of that gravestone for well over an hour, rain making her hair cling to her face, her clothes stick to her body, and soaking her through to the bone. When she began to believe she would get hypothermia if she stayed any longer, Sam went back home and headed straight up to her room, despite her mom's protests at the wet puddles she made.

Opening her bedroom door, Sam wanted nothing more than to collapse onto her bed and scream and cry at the same time when she heard a familiar voice say, " _Sam_."

She looked up, and gasped.

There, sitting on her bed, the eerie green glow of a natural portal lighting him up from behind, was Danny. He was in ghost form, but Sam was so happy to see him that she didn't care that, when he was in ghost form, he automatically spoke only Esperanto, the language of ghosts.

"Danny," she whispered. "You came back."

Danny smiled at her and said, " _Mi promesis al vi, ke mi volas, Sam. Kaj mi čiam tenas miajn promesojn_."

Sam, instead of saying anything, smiled back and practically ran to him, hugging him tightly despite that he felt as cold as ice in ghost form. Danny hugged her back, and her smile widened.

He was here. Even if Tucker didn't believe her, he was _here_. Even though he was half-ghost, half-alive, he was _here_.

He had come back, just like he promised.

He hadn't left her waiting again.

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	4. Chapter 3: So, Are We A Couple?

**Here's the next chapter! And for all the DXS fans reading this story, be prepared, as there will be heaps of DXS fluff in this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Three:**

 **So Are We A Couple?**

They hugged for several more seconds, unwilling to let the other go. Eventually, they did let go. Sam looked at Danny and smiled.

"I can't believe that you're actually here. I… I though you weren't ever coming back."

Danny looked back at her, changing into his human form, and said, "Of course, I was going to come back. I promised you that I would. As soon as I found the nearest natural portal, I went through it to come here, to see you again. But…"

He looked down, his black bangs casting shadows over his face and blue irises.

"But what?" Sam gently inquired.

"But I can't stay long," Danny answered. He looked at her and continued.

"Natural portals are very unstable. They can last for either a couple of seconds or a few hours. If the one I went through is going to close, I'll have to go back through it. Not only that, but my mom… when I stayed here when I was injured, with you, I worried her. Hugely. I hate worrying her. I try to not worry her as much as I can, but…"

He paused, his sapphire eyes locking with Sam's amethyst ones.

"But I'll stay as long as I can, and I'll visit you whenever I can. I promise."

Sam smiled a half-smile. "I don't doubt that you'll keep that promise."

Danny smiled back at her. Whenever he smiled, it made her heart speed up. They sat in comfortable silence for several seconds before Sam cleared her throat and asked, "So… what's your family like? Your adoptive family, I mean."

At the mention of his ghostly family, Danny's face brightened.

"Well my mom's named Pandora. She's a Greek warrior type of ghost; kinda like an Amazon from Greek mythology. She can be stern, angry and fierce when she needs to be, but she's a very caring, very thoughtful woman actually. She's an awesome mom, though like I said, she _does_ worry over me. But, I love her, and she loves me.

"I also have a pseudo-aunt named Desiree, and two pseudo-uncles named Nocturne and Clockwork. Desiree's a wishing ghost, kinda like a genie, Nocturne's the Ghost Of Sleep, and Clockwork's the Ghost Of Time. Desiree and Nocturne are married, and they have two kids, twin girls. Nyx and Jinn. They're twelve, but they're really energetic, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, and a couple of pranksters, if I say so myself. Me, Nyx and Jinn got up to some darn good pranks, years ago."

"Oh? What kind of pranks?" Sam questioned.

"Just the usual. But I remember, one time, we pranked our parents _so_ hard…" Danny began to chuckle at the memory of the prank.

"What happened?"

"Well…

…

 _Two Years Ago_

 _Twelve-year-old Danny and ten-year-old Nyx and Jinn hid behind a bush near where Pandora, Desiree and Nocturne were talking. Jinn and Nyx has to restrain themselves from giggling while Danny whispered, "You two remember the plan, Jinny and Nyxie?"_

 _The two daughters of Desiree and Nocturne nodding, stifling another round of giggles._

" _Okay," Danny began, a wide grin on his face as well, as he pulled a monster mask over his face, the twins doing the same, "let's do this."_

 _The three ghosts turned invisible and floated over to their parents, flying behind them. When they were in position, Danny, Nyx and Jinn turned visible and shouted, "BOO!"_

 _Needless to say, they scared their parents all right._

" _AAARRRGGGGHHHH!" Pandora, Desiree and Nocturne screamed in unison._

 _Danny, Jinn and Nyxie, meanwhile, howled with laughter… until they saw their parents frowning as they recognised their children._

" _DANNY PHANTOM/NYX/JINN! YOU ARE IN_ HUGE _TROUBLE!" Pandora, Desiree and Nocturne yelled in unison._

 _Realising that they_ were _in trouble, Danny, Nyx and Jinn realised they had only_ one _option…_

" _SCRAM!" Danny yelled, and he, Nyx and Jinn flew away as fast as they could from their angry parents, hoping that when they flew back, their parents had calmed down and they would escape punishment…_

…

 _Two Years Later_

"… But we still got grounded," Danny finished.

Sam, who had been listening silently, erupted into laughter at that last sentence. Danny frowned at her.

"It isn't funny!" Danny exclaimed.

"It kinda is," Sam said back, smiling at him, causing Danny to smile too.

"Looking back on it, it _is_ kinda funny," Danny admitted. He looked back at the Goth girl next to him and added, "But, that wasn't the last of Nyx and Jinn's pranks."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Really. I remember, a year ago, when Nyx and Jinn pranked me and my friend, Ember."

"Ember? As in, Ember McLain? The singer you said was actually a ghost?"

"Yeah. We're actually pretty good friends, and we'll always stay friends. But apparently, Nyx and Jinn didn't think so."

"Ooo, really? Tell me," Sam said, a smile playing on her lips as she gazed at him.

Danny rolled his eyes playfully. "If you say so. Here's what happened…"

…

 _A Year Ago_

" _Nyx, where are you taking me?" a thirteen-year-old, blindfolded Danny asked as he was pulled by Nyx, who was eleven at the time, as she tried to contain her giggles._

" _You'll see soon, Danny," Nyx told him in a sing-song tone, trying to contain her giggles._

" _If this is a prank…"_

" _It isn't, Danny," Nyx assured him._

" _Then why am I wearing a blindfold?"_

" _You'll see."_

 _Danny rolled his eyes behind the blindfold and Nyx giggled, before he frowned._

" _Nyx?"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _Where's Jinn?"_

" _She'll meet us there," Nyx answered._

…

 _Meanwhile_

" _Jinn, where are you taking me?" an also blindfolded Ember asked as she was led by Jinn, who was also trying to hold in her giggles._

" _You'll see in a sec, Ember," Jinn told her, also in a sing-song tone._

" _If this is one of yours and your sister's pranks…"_

" _It isn't, Ember," Jinn assured her._

" _Then why the heck am I wearing this stupid blindfold?"_

" _Because it's a surprise."_

 _Ember rolled her eyes and Jinn giggled, before Ember frowned._

" _Jinn?"_

" _Yes, Em?"_

" _Where's Nyx?"_

" _She's gonna meet us there," Jinn answered._

 _A few seconds later, Nyx had arrived at a door that looked like a broom closet door. Soon, Jinn arrived._

" _You ready?" Nyx whispered to her twin. Jinn nodded, smiling._

" _Then let's do this."_

 _While Jinn opened the door as silently as she could, she and Nyx loudly said in unison, "We're here!"_

 _As soon as Jinn opened the door, she practically shoved Ember in and closed the door behind her. Danny, meanwhile, said, "Sweet. Where are we, exactly?"_

" _You'll see in a minute. Just open that door. When you're inside, take off the blindfold," Nyx instructed._

 _Danny sighed exaggeratedly._

" _Okay," he said. He fumbled around for a bit before he found the doorknob. He turned it, opened the door, and walked inside, taking off his blindfold._

 _He could see vague shapes, and the shape of person. But before he could get a clearer look, the door swung shut behind him, plunging him into darkness._

" _NYX/JINN!" Danny and the person roared. At hearing the other's voices, Danny and the other person recognised each other._

"Danny/Ember _?" Ember and Danny asked in unison._

" _How did you get in here?" Danny asked._

" _How did_ you _get in here?" Ember asked back._

" _Nyx told me to go in. She-"_

 _Danny stopped himself, as he and Ember got looks of realisation on their faces, before they looked unamused at each other._

" _This is one of Nyx and Jinn's pranks, isn't it?" Danny asked._

" _Obviously," Ember answered._

" _They're betting we'll make out, right?"_

" _Probably."_

…

 _Meanwhile_

 _On the other side of the door, Nyx and Jinn grinned at each other._

" _Operation: Force Danny And Ember To Make Out is a success," Nyx and Jinn whispered in unison, before laughing._

…

 _Two years Later_

"…. However, me and Ember _didn't_ make out, much to Nyx and Jinn's disappointment," Danny finished.

"Those devious girls," Sam said teasingly.

"Devious, they are," Danny agreed.

"I would love to meet them."

"I'm sure that they'll love you, if you meet them."

Silence hung over them, before Sam broke it, looking down.

"I told Tucker that you were alive today."

Danny looked at her, surprised. "Tucker… that's the guy who was my best friend ten years ago, right? Before I was sucked into the Ghost Zone?"

"Yeah. Me and him… we've actually fallen out. We don't speak to each other a lot. He's popular, and I'm not. I told him that you're alive, but he didn't believe me. Until he saw that you were alive for himself, he won't believe me that you're alive."

Danny could see tears in Sam's eyes. He gently tilted her chin up and asked, "Sam, are you okay?"

Sam tried to nod, before she stopped herself, tears silently trailing down her cheeks.

"Danny… Tucker wouldn't believe me. He _refused_ to believe me. I get where he's coming from; we both saw you get electrocuted and sucked inside the Ghost Zone. But, he really hurt me, emotionally, since he wouldn't believe me. He said I was making this all up, when I would _never_ do that. Not with something like you still being alive. He… he really hurt me."

Sam took in a shuddering breath, Danny listening wordlessly, as she continued, "And, and it make me think. If your best friend wouldn't believe me that you were still alive, then who's to say your _family_ will? I just… feel like I'll be the only one to know you're still alive, and that no one else will know because they won't believe me as soon as I tell them. And I don't blame them. Everyone in this town has been blaming me for telling you to go into the portal for _years_ , Danny. No one wants to be my friend, because of what happened to you. And I've been trying to suppress this guilt, and I have for ten years, but… but I still feel guilty, even when I know that you're right here, beside me. I just feel so… _alone_."

Sam cast her eyes down, letting a few more tears slip out, before she felt a warm, gentle finger wipe them away. Looking back up, Sam saw Danny looking at her with sympathy.

"Sam, I'm so sorry about what happened to you. If… if I had remembered you, I would have come back sooner; I should never have gone into that portal, if this is how it affected you, Tucker and my family. I feel terrible for making you feel so guilty about what happened to me, so alone to face whatever this town says about you, because of what happened to me, and your part in it. But Sam, let me tell you this; I don't care if nobody else believes you that I'm still alive. As long as I know that _you_ believe that I'm still alive, I don't care if anyone else doesn't. I won't ever leave you to feel alone again, or leave you waiting. I'll come back to you; I always will."

Sam felt her breath coming out in shaky gasps as Danny added, their faces an inch apart, "Because no matter how far apart we are, no matter how long it takes, I'll always come back to you, Sam, so that you'll never have to feel alone again."

Sam smiled at that. Danny then kissed her on the cheek, surprising her. Seeing the surprise on Sam's face, Danny pulled back, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Sam, I-" Danny started, but Sam interrupted him by kissing him on the lips.

Now _Danny_ was surprised, but he relaxed into the kiss, kissing her back. He accidentally fell onto the bed, Sam on top of him, and they began to make out, kissing deeper and deeper, until they had to pull back, needing to breathe.

"Wow. That was… wow," Danny breathed out, still panting.

Sam smiled at him. "I know."

She then smirked. "Although, I've never kissed a ghost before."

Danny looked confused, before he looked down and realised he had accidentally changed into ghost form while he and Sam were kissing. He blushed green.

"Well, uh, I, um," Danny stuttered, but Sam silenced him with a finger to his lips, still smiling.

"It's okay, Danny. You're an amazing kisser, in both human _and_ ghost form," Sam complimented.

Danny smiled. "Thanks."

Danny sat up and Sam snuggled in closer to him, Danny changing back to human form. She laid her head on his chest, and could faintly hear his heartbeat.

Looking at Danny, Sam said, "So… what about us?"

"What do you mean, what about us?"

"Well… we kissed before you went back into the Ghost Zone. And, we made out just a couple of seconds ago. I'm just wondering… if we're going to be _more_ than friends."

Danny looked at her warmly and said as he gently caressed her cheek, "We could be, if you want us to be more than friends."

"I would like us to be, but I understand if you don't want us to be."

Danny kissed her then. They kissed for several seconds, and when they pulled back, Danny said, "I would like us to be, too."

Sam smiled at her new boyfriend and said, "Just so you know, Danny, I'm no pushover. I have my own way of doing things."

Danny chucked and said, "That's exactly what I'm counting on."

The two kissed each other again and Danny told Sam, "I like you, Sam. A lot. And, I can't wait to go on this journey, with you."

"Same here, Ghost Boy," Sam murmured. "Same here."

They were about to kiss again, before Danny heard a sucking sound. Looking up, he saw that the natural portal was starting to close.

"I better go. I'll see you as soon as possible, Sammy," Danny farewelled, before he changed into his ghost form.

Sam smiled. "I'll look forward to that."

The two kissed again, before Danny flew inside the portal, which closed immediately afterwards.

Sam smiled. Danny was her boyfriend. Even when she was four, she'd been crushing on him. That crush had faded to the back of her mind and her heart when Danny was sucked inside the Ghost Zone, but that crush had come back. And now that they were a couple… it made Sam feel incredibly happy.

With a slight lightness in her steps, Sam headed to her vanity. On top of it was a small wooden box. She opened it, and nestled inside the velvet-lined interior, was the ice crystal Danny had given her when he had stayed in her room and she helped him heal and taught him more about the human world, and they had fallen for each other. It was attached to a black satin choker, faintly glowing, it's blue surface refracting the light, making it shine in a million different shades of blue.

Gently taking it out, Sam tied the choker around her neck, and smiled at how the crystal twinkled in the light, it's beautiful blue surface complimenting her creamy skin tone.

Sam smiled as she gently stroked it. She had a feeling that things will get better for her and Danny, even if no one else would believe her that Danny was alive.

But unknown to both her and Danny, a threat to both them and the ones they loved was coming… a threat that had dark plans in store for both the human realm and the Ghost Zone.

 **A dark ending, but I felt like it was needed. And sorry if some parts of this chapter was repetitive; I try not to. And, I apologise if the title didn't make sense.**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Misunderstandings, Suspicions

**Hiya! And here is the next chappie! I hope you darling readers like it!**

 **Enjoy**

 **Misunderstandings And Suspicions**

When Danny got back home, he was practically buzzing with happiness. Not only did he and Sam make out… but Sam was now, officially, his girlfriend. He couldn't keep the smile off his face at that.

He practically floated into the kitchen and shouted, "Hi, Mom! I'm back!"

At hearing her son's shouts, Pandora turned to him, a strange smile on her face.

At seeing the smile, Danny's own one faltered.

"Uh, Mom?"

"So… did you kiss her?" Pandora asked.

Danny's eyes widened, and he stumbled back in shock.

"Wh-what?"

Pandora sighed. "Don't play dumb with me, Danny. I know you were with her."

"Y-you did?" Danny asked. _How the heck did she realise I was with Sam?!_

"Yes, I did. Honestly, how could I _not_ see this sooner, I will never know. But…" Again, Pandora smiled that weird smile. "Did you kiss her?"

Danny, still feeling confused, said, "Sorry Mom, but… who's the girl you're talking about?"

Pandora gave him a look.

"Ember, of course! I was wondering when you two would get together, considering how clueless you are at how much she likes you. So… did you two kiss?"

Danny, at realising that his mom was _not_ talking about him kissing Sam and believed that he had kissed _Ember_ , laughed lightly and said, "No, Mom. We hung out, played some games, listened to some music, watched a few movies, but we didn't kiss. Me and Ember are just friends."

 _Mostly because I'm not romantically attracted to her, partly because I now have a girlfriend._

Pandora frowned slightly, obviously disappointed that she had been wrong.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering, that's all. You two are so close that… Anyway, it isn't my business to ask you about you and Ember. Your business is your business. However…"

Pandora looked at Danny sternly and finished, "If you are hurting her, or doing whatever God-knows-what that I should be concerned about, you tell me straight away."

Danny nodded. "I know."

Danny walked towards her and hugged her as he kissed her. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie."

She hugged him back, and they stayed in their hug for several seconds until Danny pulled away and said, "I, uh, gotta go up to my room and revise over some notes. Ghostwriter is giving me a test about the history of the Ghost Zone, and I need to study for it."

"Sure, Danny. Go and study," Pandora smiled. However, she then asked him as he started running up the stairs to his room, "Danny?"

"Yeah?" Danny asked back, having a feeling that Pandora _did_ know about Sam, and was about to ask him about her.

Instead, she said, "Just wanted to remind you that you have ice-training with Frostbite at the Far Frozen tomorrow afternoon, and that while you're there, could ask him for some medicinal herbs; we're running low."

Danny smiled at her. "Sure, Mom."

After he said that, he ran up the stairs and into his room, where he laid on his bed, studying like he told his mom, but his thoughts kept drifting off to Sam, so he gave up trying to study, and began daydreaming about his next visit to see his beautiful, gothic girlfriend, eventually dozing off.

…

 _Meanwhile…_

As soon as her son disappeared up the stairs into his room, Pandora grabbed an orb that she used to contact her friends and immediately contacted him.

It took a few seconds, but his familiar face appeared.

"Clockwork," she whispered. "I think it's time we tell him."

Clockwork frowned at that. "Are you sure, Pandora?"

"Clockwork, you know he's been acting… different. Ever since he came back from wherever he went when Skulker injured him. I have a feeling he went into the human world, and…"

"And he started suspecting he might be half-human?"

Pandora nodded.

Clockwork sighed heavily. "Look, even if Daniel _does_ suspect he may be a halfa, he may not have figured it out entirely. We'll have to wait, to be certain."

Pandora nodded again, biting her lip. "I know, Clockwork. But I just… Clockwork, Danny knowing that he's half-human… it will be a _huge_ shock for him. I just, don't know if he's ready to handle the truth, even if I feel it's time to tell him."

"Pandora," Clockwork said softly, "when has anyone _ever_ been ready to handle the truth that will change their life forever? But, as I said before, all is as it should be."

Pandora nodded, eyes glimmering wetly, before she looked where her son had gone.

"Let's just hope that those who'll want to hunt him down or use him won't _ever_ find out the truth about him…

"… Nor will his enemies tell him the truth before _we_ tell him."

 **Plot twist! I think…**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chappie!**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	6. Chapter 5: A Villain's Plotting

**Hiya everyone!**

 **First things first… HAPPY DANNYVERSAY! I know, I know, it was three days ago, but can you believe that it's been fourteen years since that amazing show, and the half-ghost teen superhero that we know and love, graced our screens? Now, I first started watching this amazing show three years ago, and I have been a full-fledged Phan since, and even now I am still amazed at how strong this Phan-base is. May we hope that this show will never, ever die down, and that someday, Danny will go ghost once again!**

 **Anyway, here is the new chapter! I hope you enjoy, as it introduces one of the major villains in this story.**

 **Onto the story!**

 **Chapter Five:**

 **A Villain's Plotting**

In a castle-like mansion on the edge of Madison, Wisconsin, a man was inside, plotting.

He was a wealthy man, a billionaire to be exact. He had silver hair tied in a ponytail, wore a black business suit, had fair skin, and cunning, cold blue eyes. The man, currently, was in his office, looking out the window. Outside, it was raining and thundering, but the man was too lost in his thoughts to care.

And right now, he was _angry_.

"Ten years. Ten _years_ , and not a single _trace_ of him until now!" the man raged. His fists were shaking, as he barely contained his anger.

"I gave that idiot Skulker one job. _One job_. Catch the boy. Wound him, but don't kill him. And what does he do? _He lets him escape_! Of all the incompetent fools I have hired, he's the most incompetent of them all!" the man growled, before he calmed down.

"On the positive side… it doesn't seem that the boy doesn't _know_ what he is," the man said, before he turned around. Walking to a bookshelf, he pulled a football on top down, and caused a secret doorway to open. He smiled evilly and entered down the steps into a secret lab. Inventions buzzed and whirred, ectoplasm in beakers and vials and test tubes bubbled, and in cages, stacked up on top of one another, were dozens of ghosts, roaring, wailing and growling. The man ignored them, and headed to where a glowing green case was. Inside was a glowing green key, it's handle shaped like a ghoulish skull.

The man looked at the key and added, "As long as he doesn't know that he's a half-human, half-ghost hybrid, a hybrid like _me_ , he won't get in the way of my plans…"

Suddenly, a black ring of light came, transforming the man into a blue-skinned ghost wearing a white suit with black gloves, belt and collar, black hair styled in a devil horns style, and a white collared cape with red lining.

Vlad Masters, or as he was known in this form, Vlad Plasmius, finished as he looked at an orb that showed Danny in his ghost form, "But it's best that I eliminate him before he gets the chance to… and anyone else who will dare to tell him."

Vlad chuckled darkly as the storm raged, a malicious companion to Vlad's deranged, evil laughter.

 **And now we are introduced to the main antagonist, Vlad Masters! What does he have in store for Danny and his ghostly family and friends? You'll have to see…**

 **I apologise for the short chapter. Next chapter will be longer, I promise!**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	7. Chapter 6: Strange Headaches

**Here is the next chapter! And here, Danny and Sam discover a new…** _ **development**_ **, in their relationship. And before you say anything, Sam is not pregnant. I repeat, Sam is** _ **not**_ **pregnant. It's something more along the** _ **ghostly**_ **side…**

 **Enjoy and onto the story!**

 **Chapter Six:**

 **Strange Headaches**

When Sam woke up, the first thing she registered was the absolutely pounding headache she had.

Well, it wasn't much of a headache as it was a hammering force that drilled into her head persistently, creating a painful pressure in her temples and forehead and almost causing her to see black spots in her version.

Sam grimaced, holding her forehead, and reached for her glass of water, gulping it down. Even with the clear liquid in her system, which helped to wake her up, the headache continued, and now it caused a slow, consistent throbbing at the back of her eyelids.

Sam groaned again and rubbed her temples, trying to relieve it. But, it wouldn't go. And, now that it was now pressing against her eyelids and her temples, just barely Sam could _feel_ an airy brush on her mind, as if _another_ consciousness was touching hers with the lightest of touches. But that was ridiculous. Another consciousness touching her own? That was _impossible_.

 _Then again, so was Danny being alive for ten years_.

At the mention of her thought, the headache, which had ebbed slightly away, returned with a vengeance, filling her head with a pinging sound. Sam resisted the urge to scream as the pinging sound grew louder and louder, and that strange feeling on her head began to feel heavier, it's presence stronger. It still felt as light as air, but it also had this aura of death about it, and this tugging, as if it was pulled between two extremes; like life and death. And also, there was this _pull,_ that drew her deeper and deeper into that strange consciousness.

Before Sam knew it, she had fallen headlong into it.

…

 _Meanwhile_

Danny couldn't get a wink of sleep last night.

After his doze, he had woken up feeling energetic and well-rested. Problem was, when he woke up, night had descended on the Ghost Zone, and his mother had fallen asleep in her room. Not wanting to wake her up, Danny had snuck out of his room and out of his home, making a brief pit stop in the kitchen to wolf down his missed dinner, not caring that it was cold. After he had come out of his house, he had taken a flight, hoping to relax himself. But he couldn't; thoughts of Sam clouded his mind, along with thoughts of his birth family, Tucker, and a life where he hadn't gone into the portal when he was four, where he had lived with his human family, where he, Sam and Tucker were a trio of friends, where he had this crazy dream to be something called an astronaut. By that life seemed far away, too far away, and it made him feel guilty and sad, about thinking of a life where he never became half-ghost, where he never would have lived ten years in the Ghost Zone, away from his biological family.

Eventually, his body lead him where he was now, a floating rock which he was now lying on, gazing up at the never-changing, swirling green and black sky of the Ghost Zone. He didn't know how long he had laid there, only that he was brought out of his peaceful staring by a faint headache… and the giggles and hushed voices of his two favourite twins.

"Do you think he's asleep?"

"He doesn't look to be asleep."

"Think he'll play with us?"

"When has he ever _not_ played with us?"

"True."

"Okay. On one…"

"Two…"

"THREE!" Jinx and Nyx yelled, pouncing on top of Danny.

Danny let out a surprised grunt, before he looked at the giggling ghost girls lying on his chest, smiling at them.

"You two are getting better at scaring me," Danny said, much to the girls' delight. However, he mock-frowned and added, "Although, you _might_ be quieter next time. Otherwise, the mighty Danny Phantom will get you and tickle you to oblivion!"

To demonstrate, he picked up Jinn and began tickling her mercilessly, causing her to shriek with laughter. When Nyx pretended to sneak away, Danny gently grabbed her and began tickling her too, causing her to dissolve into a fit of giggles. He kept tickling them until they shrieked, "Stop! Danny, stop!", and he ceased tickling them. Breathless from laughter, Nyx and Jinn collapsed onto the surface of the surprisingly large rock, smiling happily at Danny.

Danny smiled back at them. Even though he felt bad about not telling them his new secret, he always felt happier around them. And now, with his headache that was, although faint, _very_ persistent, they helped it disappear.

Now, he was staring in their red eyes, as Jinn asked, "So… did you go to the human world yesterday, Danny?"

"Did you see Sam again yesterday?" Nyx asked, in rapid succession to her sister's earlier question.

Danny smirked mysteriously and answered cryptically, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. That's for me to know and you two to find out."

Nyx and Jinn giggled at that. "You sound like Uncle Clockwork, Danny," Nyx compared, her and Jinn now lying against Danny as he hugged them.

"Do I?" Danny asked her. Both Nyx and Jinn nodded. "They maybe I should start saying 'All is as it should be' more often."

That caused another peal of laughter to come from Nyx and Jinn. Danny smiled at them, completely forgetting about his headache… until a strange thought entered his mind, which sounded surprisingly like Sam's voice.

 _Then again, so was Danny being alive for ten years._

That caused Danny to jolt upright and get to his feet, Jinn and Nyx complaining about him suddenly moving, but Danny didn't hear them. His eyes were frantic, looking around. Now he recognised what the headaches meant; he had listened to his mom tell him about what they entailed years ago. And what she said to him was coming back…

…

 _Eight years ago_

 _Six-year-old Danny wriggled uncomfortably as he stood next to his mother as she greeted her old friend, Desiree, and her husband Nocturne and their four-year-old twin daughters, Nyx and Jinn. They were laughing and talking. Earlier, Nyx, Jinn and Danny had quietly played together, but now, it was reaching the stage where Desiree, Nocturne, and Nyx and Jinn had to go home back to their lair._

 _As Danny observed the married couple, he noticed that Desiree and Nocturne seemed to strangely know what the other was thinking, but didn't voice it out loud. However, after the family of four left, he voiced his curiosity to Pandora:_

" _Why did Auntie Desiree and Uncle Nocturne seem to know what the other was thinking?"_

 _Pandora, not at all stunned by her son's question, smiled at him._

" _Danny, the reason why Auntie Desiree and Uncle Nocturne seem to know what the other is thinking is that they_ do _know what the other is thinking. They are linked, something that is rare among ghosts."_

" _What does linked mean?"_

" _Linked means that you have psychically bonded with someone that you love entirely, and know you want to spend the rest of your afterlife with. You share thoughts, memories, and sometimes, in cases of strong links, you will be able to experience what the other is experiencing. It is a beautiful thing, and many ghosts desire to be linked with the one that they love body, core and soul."_

 _Danny smiled. He could imagine what a beautiful thing it would indeed be, linked with the girl that he loved with everything he had._

" _What are the signs that you're linked?" Danny asked._

" _Well, the most obvious one is a headache. Sometimes for one person it is faint; for the other person, however, it is a persistent throbbing. It never dies down, only gets more intense. That is because of the desire to share thoughts and memories, to experience what the other person is. Another sign is the feeling of another mind on your own. It may feel weird, but you'll grow familiar with it, and know it to be of the mind of the person you're linked too. And there may be the accidental thought slipping in, which will alert you straight away. Other than that, there are no other signs."_

 _Danny smiled up at his mother and declared, "When I'm older, I wanna be linked to the girl that I love very, very, very much."_

 _Pandora smiled at him, a sort of sad smile. "It isn't that easy, Danny. To be linked… it is a very intimate, very powerful, very strong and rare thing. Aside from Desiree and Nocturne, I do not know another couple who has been linked."_

 _Although that deflated his spirits somewhat, Danny was positive that, when he was older, he was going to be linked to the person that he loved with every fibre of his being._

…

 _Eight years later_

"… I just didn't know it would be _now_ , and with _Sam_ ," Danny muttered, flying as fast as he could to his mother's Acropolis. He didn't care about the consequences; he _had_ to tell her what happened when he had been injured by Skulker. Ending up in the human world, Sam finding him and helping him to heal and gather his strength despite the temporary language barrier, falling for her as she taught him about the human world, daydreaming about her, promising to visit her and keeping true of that promise, kissing her and becoming his girlfriend, the possibility that they may now be linked, accidentally, which he didn't mind, if he was being honest with himself, and of course his halfa status. But before he could, he could hear a screaming that sounded like Sam's ringing in his ears. That stopped his flight and he looked around wildly, panicked and frightened.

"Sam?" he called. No answer.

"Sam? Sam? Sam!" Danny yelled.

Again, no answer.

Breathing shortly, Danny yelled out, "SAAAMMMM!"

But, she didn't answer.

Now honestly scared that Sam may be in the Ghost Zone, Danny looked around frantically, trying to see the nearest natural portal, flying as he did so… and he accidentally bumped into Ember.

"OOF!" they said in unison. Danny, noticing who he bumped into, smiled sheepishly.

"Uhhh… hey Ember. Didn't see you there."

The blue-haired girl, who had looked furious seconds ago, now looked surprised, happy, and mildly concerned when she recognised Danny.

"Oh, hey Danny. I didn't see you there as well, so that's okay," Ember said casually. She looked into his panicked green eyes and asked, her own emerald eyes concerned, "Are you okay, Dan? You look a little… panicked."

 _Well, considering my girlfriend may be in a dimension full of spirits who may or may not destroy or kidnap her because she's_ human, _of course I'm panicking!_ Danny yelled in his mind. However, he said out loud to Ember, "Sorry. I'm just panicking because I may have worried my mom again. I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to take a flight out to relax, and the time just got away from me."

Ember nodded in understanding, and began twirling a strand of her robin's egg blue hair. For the first time, Danny noticed that Ember seemed _nervous_ ; for all the time Danny knew her, Ember was _never_ nervous. So why did she look so shy now?

"Danny, I need to tell you something," Ember started, her voice so quiet Danny almost couldn't hear.

Taking a deep breathe, she continued.

"Danny, I'm in-"

"Ember, do you know where the nearest natural portal is?" Danny asked, interrupting her.

Ember, although she looked taken aback and a little bit sad, answered, "I saw one forming two doors and a floating island away from here, if that's any help."

Danny smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Em, you're the best," Danny thanked, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he flew as fast as he could to the natural portal, hoping that Sam was still in the human world and not in the Ghost Zone.

…

 _Meanwhile_

When Sam had regained her senses, she at first thought, _I'm dead._

All she could see was blackness; it was so black, she couldn't see her own hand right in front of her eyes. Usually, being a Goth, she didn't mind darkness, but this was _too_ dark; even for her.

When Sam was about to think she was dead or stuck in some sort of limbo, a light appeared in front of her. Eagerly, she headed towards it, and… found herself in a place she had never been, but had seen briefly before.

The Ghost Zone was more terrifying and more amazing in person than when Danny showed her. An infinite abyss of swirling green and black was the sky, sea and earth, dotted with floating purple doors each a different shape and make and floating rocks and islands, and even some buildings, but those were just specks in the distance. She caught her breath, and was about to move forward when she heard breathing; _familiar_ breathing.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Danny was here.

She turned around, expecting him to be here, but he wasn't; only the darkness. She frowned. She called out to him, but her voice didn't work. It was so strange. Danny was not with her… _yet why did he feel so close?_

Suddenly, Danny called out, "Sam?"

Sam was confused. Didn't he see her?

Her lack of answer must have panicked him further, before he called out again, "Sam? Sam? Sam!"

 _I'm here!_ Sam thought, but her voice wouldn't work. Her hands refused to move, to wave to show Danny where she was, even though she was so close to him. So close, and yet so far.

And that was when she realised, with a dreaded feeling, when it was confirmed when Danny, nearly on the verge of full-out panicking, yelled, "SAAAMMMM!"

Sam wasn't actually in the Ghost Zone; she was still in the human realm. But, somehow, she had found herself _inside Danny's head_. Right now, it was too freaky and scary to be cool.

Danny was absolutely panicking by now, and he began to fly, frantically looking around, obviously looking for a natural portal so that he could go to the human realm, to assure himself that she was okay. And she was. Sam so _badly_ wanted to scream that she was okay, but she was stuck in Danny's _mind_. She had no idea how she got in, or how to get out; only that she had been falling, falling, falling. And now, here she was. Stuck in her panicking, half-ghost boyfriend's head.

Danny continued to fly… until he bumped into somebody.

"OOF!" both he and the mystery person exclaimed.

While Danny was recovering from knocking into somebody, Sam observed _who_ he had bumped into.

It was a ghost girl, with pale skin, unnaturally green eyes, and flaming blue hair in a high ponytail. She wore crazy back stage makeup, purple lipstick, and wore black rocker clothes with grey skull boots. Slung over her back was a purple and blue flaming guitar. Sam recognised her, from all the posters advertising that concert she did in Amity Park months ago, the singer that nearly everyone had been obsessed over; even logical, mature Jazz.

Ember McLain.

According to Danny, she was also his best friend, and had assured her they were only friends. But right here, Sam couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealously. The rocker ghost girl looked furious, and looked ready to incinerate the person who bumped into her; which was Danny.

And speaking of her boyfriend, Danny, who had noticed her for the first time, smiled sheepishly at her.

"Uhh… hey Ember. Didn't see you there."

And just like that, that furious look melted into one of surprise, happiness and mild concern when she recognised Danny.

"Oh, hey Danny. I didn't see you there as well, so that's okay," Ember said causally.

Somehow, that tone made Sam's blood boil and what her to clench her fists and scream. She had no idea why she was feeling this way; Danny had already said that he and Ember were going to be nothing more than just friends. But, maybe that was it? Maybe she was jealous that Danny, who had been proclaimed dead for ten years, had managed to find not only a second family, but also a new friend in this strange dimension full of spirits when she couldn't find one herself in their hometown. She knew it was mostly because all of the town hated and blamed her, but still, she couldn't help but feel the bitter twinge of jealously wash over her.

Ember looked at Danny with concerned green eyes and asked, "Are you okay, Dan? You look a little… panicked."

Suddenly, Sam heard, _Well, considering my girlfriend my be in a dimension full of spirits that may or may not destroy or kidnap her because she's_ human, _of course I'm panicking!_

That brought a smile to her lips, how Danny was so concerned for her.

However, Danny said out loud to Ember, "Sorry. I'm just panicking because I may have worried my mom again. I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to take a flight out to relax, and the time just got away from me."

Ember nodded in understanding, and began twirling a strand of blue hair, looking… nervous.

Sam felt her eyes go wide. _Oh God, does she_ like _Danny? As in,_ more _than a friend?_ It took all her willpower to refrain herself from shouting and screaming with all of her might.

Danny, oblivious to Ember's nervousness, continued to look around as Ember started, "Danny, I have something to tell you."

 _Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it._

Danny was too distracted to notice, but Ember didn't seem to notice his distraction. She took in a deep breath and, Sam feeling sick to her stomach, continued.

"Danny, I'm in-"

"Ember, do you know where the nearest natural portal is?" Danny asked, cutting her off.

Inside, Sam did a happy dance.

Ember, who looked taken aback and a bit sad, answered, "I saw one forming two doors and an island away from here, if that's any help."

Danny smiled gratefully at her.

"Thanks Em, you're the best," Danny thanked, kissing her on the cheek. Sam had to keep reminding herself that Danny had kissed Ember on the cheek because of gratitude, because she helped him find a way to get to his girlfriend, which was her.

After that kiss, Danny flew as fast as he could to the natural portal, Ember had directed him to and flew straight through it.

And then, everything went black again.

...

 _Meanwhile_

As soon as Danny flew out of the portal, he found himself out on a street.

Squinting against the harsh sun, Danny looked around… and began recognising this street.

This was the street that he looked over from Sam's bedroom window, when he had stayed with her and she helped him to heal. He was in front of a blue-trimmed three-storey house, which meant that Sam's house was…

 _There!_

Flying in that direction, Danny wasted no time in phasing through her bedroom wall. He floated around calling out in a hushed whisper so as to not alert Sam's parents to his presence, "Sam. Sam! Sa-"

As he was in the process of calling her for a third time, he noticed her slumped figure on her bed.

"SAM!" Danny exclaimed. He rushed to her and propped her up. He hugged her close and whispered, "Sam… Oh God, Sam. Please be okay. Please be okay."

However, after a few more minutes of Danny gripping Sam in a tight hug, the violet-eyed girl opened her eyes.

"SAM!" Danny exclaimed joyously. He hugged her tightly, much to his gothic girlfriend's slight protest. Soon, he let go, and saw her smile warmly at him.

"It's good to see you too, Danny."

At that, Danny's smile fell, as he remembered what he was so panicked about.

"Oh Sam, I-" Danny started, but then saw her puzzled look. Realising he must be still speaking Esperanto, Danny tried to concentrate on speaking English in ghost form… but the words wouldn't come, thanks to his earlier panic. Eventually, he changed to human form, where speaking English was much easier.

Taking another deep breath, he tried to begin again, but Sam silenced him.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here. And, by the way, I think you found a great friend in Ember, if your short conversation after bumping into each other was anything to go by," Sam smirked.

At hearing that, Danny paled.

"Y-you saw that?" Danny asked.

"Yes…" Sam answered, drawing out the one syllable. At seeing the ashen look on Danny's face, she asked, "Is something wrong, Danny?"

Instead of answering, Danny questioned back, "Did you have a headache?"

Sam frowned. "I'm not sure why that's relevant, but yeah. I did. And a real annoying one at that."

Now Danny looked like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Did-did you feel like another mind was touching yours when experiencing the headache?"

Sam frowned deeper but answered, "Yes, kinda."

Now Danny looked like he might faint. And now Sam was _really_ concerned.

"Danny… what's going on?" Sam asked. She held his hand and looked gently into his icy blue eyes.

Danny let out a shuddering breath and revealed the most shocking thing Sam had ever heard:

"I think me and you now have a psychic link."

Although Danny looked like he might go into a faint, Sam was the one who fainted.

 **Yeah. Danny and Sam now have a psychic link!**

 **Butch Hartman actually originally planned for Danny and Sam to have a psychic link, but scrapped it. I think it's a cool idea, and I'm gonna use it in this fanfic.**

 **What do you think? Did you like the part where Sam was viewing the latter part of Danny's viewpoint inside his head, or not. Please tell me so in your reviews!**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


	8. Chapter 7: Is She Right?

**Hey everyone! I am back with a new chapter of this fanfic! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Onto the story!**

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Is She Right?**

Inside his bedroom, Tucker Foley was having a mental dilemma.

Ever since Sam had told him that Danny was still alive, which was crazy, he had mixed feelings about it. He _wanted_ to believe her, wanted to hope that Danny _was_ still alive, but he didn't want to believe her, didn't want to get his hopes up, in case she was lying about it.

He knew that he acted like a jerk towards her; the popularity had gotten to his head. Maybe that was who he was now; a jerky popular boy. But he knew, deep inside, that he wasn't, that he was _afraid_ of acting anything more than a jerk. And that was why what Sam had said had so _badly_ affected him; not only because of her claims that Danny was alive, but how it reminded him of how things had been, when they were a trio, before Danny had gone into the portal, before he had been electrocuted by it and had been sucked inside that vortex, before popularity had even entered his mind. It brought all of those things up, and more.

Tucker let out a long, ragged sigh, and sat on his bed, his hands gripping his short hair. He wanted to believe that Sam was wrong, that she had lied about all of this. He wanted to be angry at her, for making up that Danny was alive, Danny, who had been like a brother to him. But he knew, he _knew_ that she wasn't lying. And that's what left him so completely and utterly _confused_. He strongly felt that he shouldn't believe her, until Danny showed up alive and well, like she said he was.

But what if she was right?

There was only one way to be sure.

Tucker looked at his phone, lying innocently next to him on his bed. He picked it up, and dialled a number he never thought he would call again.

If Sam was right, if she had solid proof that Danny had been alive for ten years, then he had to know.

If he didn't call her, right now, then he would keep on second-guessing himself, and being torn in two places of whether to believe her or not, for the rest of his life.

This, in his mind's eye, felt like a final piece of closure, a final piece to confirm whether Sam was right, or she was wrong.

He didn't know just how right she actually was.

 **Short chapter, I know. Please don't kill me!**

 **I felt like I needed to do a chapter in Tucker's perspective. Yes, he did act like a jerk towards Sam, but her words probably rattled him to his core, especially since he saw Danny being sucked inside the Ghost Zone after being electrocuted by the portal. So, he's having a mental dilemma, and despite them not being friends anymore, Tucker decided to call Sam, to confirm to himself whether Sam was right or wrong. And, of course, this is around the same time that Danny just told Sam that they now have a psychic link…**

 **I hope you enjoy this and it wasn't too horrible!**

 **Please read and review!**

 **GhostWriterGirl out!**


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